I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs come to me saying:

“Shannon, we have a marketing problem. Can you help?”

And time after time, once I sit down and diagnose what’s really happening, it turns out… they don’t just have a marketing problem.

Yes, their marketing feels off – usually the messaging isn’t landing, or they’re relying on the same small pool of leads. But when we trace it back, the root cause is often deeper: their model.

Because here’s the truth → you can’t finesse your messaging or scale your marketing until the foundation is clear. If your signature offer isn’t structured and positioned to scale, no amount of content, funnels, or campaigns will make it work.

That’s why, 9 times out of 10, we start at the model. Once the right offer is locked in, messaging becomes sharper, marketing actually lands, and growth feels predictable instead of exhausting.

And this is where so many entrepreneurs misdiagnose themselves: they pile on more marketing tactics when what they really need is to recalibrate their model first.

The Key Distinction

A marketing problem shows up when:

• You don’t have enough of the right eyes on your business.
• Your messaging feels fuzzy, and people don’t “get” what you do quickly.
• You’re visible, but leads are inconsistent or lukewarm.

👉 But here’s the nuance: many “marketing problems” trace back to the model. If your signature offer isn’t clearly defined, scalable, and aligned with your brand position, your messaging will always feel like a moving target. And without sharp messaging, your marketing will never get real traction.

A model problem shows up when:

• Even if you do get attention, your structure isn’t built to convert, deliver, and scale.
• Your pricing doesn’t reflect the transformation you actually deliver.
• Growth feels tied to more hours, more offers, more launches – not more sustainability.

👉 That’s why we always start at the model. Once your signature offer is calibrated, your messaging becomes obvious, and your marketing finally does its job.

Let’s Diagnose Further

You may have a marketing problem if…

• Your offer gets rave reviews from clients, but not enough people know about it.
• Content lands, but it’s not reaching far beyond your current circle.
• Leads are inconsistent and unpredictable.
• Your email list is loyal, but growth has slowed.
• Launches feel like you’re recycling the same audience, hoping they’ll finally convert.

This is creating symptoms / thoughts of:

• “I should post more often.”
• “I need to be more active on Instagram Stories.”
• “Let’s lean on my email list harder.”
• “Maybe I should host another 3-day workshop.”
• “I should personally DM handraisers and nurture them more.”

👉 Translation: The product works. You just don’t have enough qualified attention flowing toward it.

You may have a model problem if…

• You’re getting leads, but conversions are low.
• You’re making sales, but delivery is exhausting.
• You’re capped at 1:1 or micro-offers with no room to scale.
• Your pricing doesn’t match the transformation or perception you want to carry.
• Growth = more hours, not more revenue.

This is creating symptoms / thoughts of:

• “I keep adjusting my funnel, but sales still feel inconsistent.”
• “Every launch feels heavier, like I’m working harder for the same (or less) return.”
• “I thought scaling meant stacking more offers, but now I’m stretched too thin.”
• “My pricing doesn’t reflect the level of transformation I actually deliver.”
• “Even when I sell out, I feel maxed – I don’t have the capacity to grow beyond this.”

👉 Translation: You might be visible enough, but the structure behind your visibility can’t hold growth.

And here’s the kicker: when your model is misaligned, your messaging will always feel off too. It’s not that you’re bad at content, it’s that the offer it’s pointing to isn’t crystal clear.

A Quick Self-Diagnosis

Ask yourself:

1. If 100 new ideal leads joined my audience today, could my current program and delivery structure hold them without breaking?
2. If my model stayed the same, could I double revenue without doubling my team or hours?
3. Do I know how to articulate my signature offer in under 10 seconds without overexplaining?
4. Is there a consistent, reliable stream of qualified leads coming in every week?

If your answers look like:

• “Yes” to delivery/capacity but “No” to visibility/lead flow → it’s a marketing problem.
• “No” to delivery/capacity but “Yes” to visibility/lead flow → it’s a model problem.
• “No” across the board → you’re scaling both problems at once (don’t panic, it’s solvable).

When It’s Both

Sometimes you have both (this is the most common outcome for advanced entrepreneurs as your business has expanded over time and created a lack of alignment – don’t worry, it’s totally solvable!).

• Strong marketing + weak model = you fill your funnel, but your program feels heavy, your team is maxed, and you burn out faster.
  
• Strong model + weak marketing = you’ve built a scalable structure, but the demand never materializes and you plateau anyway.

👉 So where do you start if it’s both?

1. Check your foundation first.
   If 20 new clients signed up tomorrow, could my business deliver without breaking?
   If the answer is no, you need to recalibrate your signature offer and model before you invite in more demand.
   
2. Then layer in marketing.
   Once your model is structured to convert and deliver at scale, you can update your messaging to better align with the most desirable outcome, and then pour this update into your marketing.
   
3. Run them in sync.
   Long-term, marketing and model should feed each other: your marketing points people toward a clear signature offer, and your model creates the capacity and proof that make your marketing more effective.

Here’s the truth:

• Don’t throw more content, workshops, or nurture efforts at a model that’s not built to scale.
• Don’t tear down your model if all you really need is consistent demand flowing in.
• The key is sequencing and alignment. Diagnose first, fix the real bottleneck, and then bring the two together so they fuel each other.

Because your marketing is only as powerful as the model it’s driving toward, and your model only works when the right marketing is feeding it.

That’s the work I do with clients every day in Make It Online: we recalibrate the signature offer model and layer in the right marketing strategy so the two reinforce each other. Not one or the other. Together.

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PS: The Burn Book Series Has Begun

All September, The Goods newsletter is running a 4-part takeover called The Online Business Burn Book (for entry #1) – exposing the tactics killing your demand (and what to do instead).

The first entry is live: Stop Nurturing So Much → Click Here to Read It

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